15mm: Basing AW Miniatures Peninsular British.

I bought these 15mm AW Miniatures at a show some years ago. Since then it seems the company that made and sold this range has switched to other scales. Or at least last time I checked I couldn't find any 15mm Napoleonics on their website. 

Whilst they're far from the best 15mm (or 18mm) I've ever seen - AB, of course - they're also far from the worst. Rather stocky, with stubby bayonets,and just one infantry pose, they're a bit old school.  

I believe that they came in 'battalion packs', of either 24 or 26 figures, or thereabouts. I would always go for slightly bigger battalions, in the 28-36 figure range. I can recall how at the time I was a bit miffed about this. But I ended up thinking that these'd make nice little on campaign understrength battalions. And they do.

In actual fact these figures paint up rather nicely. It's a shame AW discontinued this range. Maybe they'll bring them back? Or perhaps they'll eventually have a new 15mm Napoleonic range in the pipeline?

Anyway, for now I have this unit and a companion French battalion. I need to paint and base the Frenchies next. With this lot I might replace the standard-bearer's poles with something less fragile and bendy.

15mm Napoleonics: AB Napoleon & Staff, pt. IV

Well, whilst still not 100% finished, Napoleon and co. are getting there. I find that I enjoy working on basing. It kind of scares me, as well. I think it's all to do with my phobia of finishing stuff. I'm also having issues with aerosol spray varnishes clouding. All that really remains, however, is a very small amount of touching up. Mostly of mounts and horse tack. But also a little repainting due to clouding varnish.

This slightly more aerial view was shot in order to show a few little basing touches, like the wheel ruts on Boney's base, and the hoof-prints on several of the bases. The eagle-eyed observer might spot that these bases still have strips of masking around the edges. I'll remove these one the figures, their mounts and the bases are all completely finished. I'm not sure if I should finish the bases with grass green edging, or blue for Frenchies?

A Napo-centric focus here (note dual-Boneys: mounted and seated!).

Focus shifted to the rear of the group.

So, we have Poniatowki avec his ADC, Ney sans chapeau, also avec ADC, Napoleon (seated and mounted!), Roustam and a page, two Chausseur a Cheval bodyguards, and a couple of general purpose staff types. I had thought about one large command diorama type base (obviously not featuring both emperors!). But I think I prefer the flexibility this approach offers. I hope that by tomorrow, or Monday at the latest, these will be completely finished.

15mm Napoleonics: AB Napoleon & Staff, pt. III

Boney and Staff, AB Miniatures.

Some years ago I decided that I'd treat myself to certain things by Anthony Barton, from his 15/18mm Napoleonic AB range. As a kid I'd had some of his Battle Honours figures, and loved them.  Even though I'm building my major forces in smaller scales - 6mm and 10mm - I wanted some command bases, and perhaps even some display bases, of 15mm.

In part this is something I've always thought would be good. But I think I might also have been influenced by having seen such ideas manifested in reality. Doesn't Callan fight wargames with Schneider in the Callan feature film A Magnum for Schneider using Peter Gilder's armies which have larger scale commander figures?

Slightly closer view...

In the end I might wind up with smaller 15mm armies anyway, as a by-product, which'd be good. But at present all I have is a rather motley selection: Napoleon and sundry staff; a load of Guard Lancers (my putative 'display' unit or units); and some non-AB oddments (one mini-battalion each of French and English Peninsular Naps by AW Miniatures). I also have a similarly ragbag assortment of 25/28mm stuff: Boney and staff (again!); a whole load of the Perry's Retreat from Russia series, and sundry random boxes of 28mm Nap plastics, mostly unassembled, never mind painted!

... after basic Milliput basing.

Having been mega-sidetracked now for several years by building 1/72 (mostly German) WWII stuff, and constant reading,  I've been determined to get back into painting minis. I'm getting there in a roundabout way. First I built and painted some Airfix 54mm Nap plastic figs, and then I started painting some 20mm WWII vehicles and figures. But, dang it, I was still avoiding the 6/10mm stuff!

I figured maybe if I finished the Boney and Staff 15mm stuff, all of which was already started, this might help edge me back towards my original goals? All of this has been very slow in happening. But today I finally got to the stage where I felt happy enough to start basing these command group figures. The painting part is, I'd guess, about 90% done.

Bases painted with Vallejo flat earth.

Pictured above is how they're all looking at close of play today: Milliput 'soil' on MDF bases, somewhat texturised, painted in Vallejo 'flat earth'. Tomorrow I'll detail the soil a bit with washes and dry brushing. Then I'll give the whole lot a dull-coat lacquering, before doing some final washes and highlights (on the figures/horses). Then it'll be time for final earth and grass basing, a last layer of lacquering, and they should be done.

Show Report: Partizan, 2017

Not having posted in bloomin' ages... In fact, not having done anything mini-military in ages (other than watch films or read books), I figured I had to go to Partizan, 2017, and get a fix of wargaming and whatnot.

This is what I needed to see!

Yes... oh yes!

Luvverly!

I managed to persuade Teresa to accompany me, for aulde thymes sake. It seems her days of humouring me thus are on the way out. And, to be honest, I can't really complain: she's been to enough shows with me. She's done her penance! She pretty much always ends up sitting down amidst the slightly odd crowd that is the wargaming fraternity, reading or watching something on her tablet., whilst I go round acquiring more stuff I probably ought not to.

I always like baggage train stuff. Plus this has a sign pointing to Cambridge, my local/home town.

This and the above are from a very nice 28mm AWI game.

I don't know if it's just me. Perhaps any other attendees who feel similarly, or differently, for that matter, could chip in? Although I won't argue that The George Stephenson Pavilion has some  things going for it - it's far better lit, for example - nevertheless, I don't like it as a venue. 

It seems airless. Very airless. And when you have hordes of wargamers, not all of whom have discovered the concept of personal hygiene, you need lots of air! I always end up feeling very out of sorts whenever I'm in these hangar like spaces. Even to the extent of dizzy spells. Mind you, it could be I'm just rather unfit. That's certainly very obviously true of many of us wargaming types!

The jungle scenery of Like A Stonewall's New Guinea hilltop scenario was stunning.

I think I may have more, and poss a little better pics... will post if I can find 'em!

One of the reasons I like to go to Partizan, other than it being amongst the more 'local' shows for me (i.e only an hour or twos drive either way), is the eye-candy type games. And this year didn't disappoint in that respect, with many great looking games, and a few real corkers. My favourite was the 28mm WWI demo game put on by Great War Miniatures.

For me, this is how wargames should: a moveable diorama.

Getting down to eye-level revealed some stunning views.

My mate Paul is a WWI nut. He says he'll get me into it one day...

... stuff like this sells it to me big time. Fab!

I adore this gun and crew. A work of art!

From the visual beauty point of view, Great War Miniatures' Cambrai game (I think that's what it was? I didn't take any notes, or chat to many people this time!), was, quite frankly, simply stunning. I want to take a leaf from their book in both how they paint figures, and their attention to scenic detail (albeit I'm currently working in smaller scales). Their figure painting seems, to me, perfectly judged; neither too detailed nor too basic. And the colours - how close they are to 'authentic', I don't know - please the eye, and are easy to 'read', if you know what I mean.

Lots of great scenery...

Call the glazier...

Och, it's fine dae to get kilt...

Another funky German gun.

Two Mona Lisas!?

HQ-cum-dunny...

They also included some wonderful incidental detail, such as German soldiers looting artwork, champagne, and so on. And there was even a micturating Bosch, in a very nicely rendered bathroom. He'd obviously been imbibing, as he's missing the bath. Still, that room, along with most in this model model village, will need a complete refurb anyway!

My only book purchase.

What with all the expenses of our new home (nearly been here a year now!), I should’ve restrained myself after my first purchase, R. F. Delderfield’s The retreat From Moscow, which - despite its title - is the novelist and Napoleonic buff’s account of the whole 1812 campaign, which I got for £5. But, like the fool I am - and despite having forgotten to bring cash (as I did on the previous Partizan*) - I popped out to a garage for some lolly, and ended up overspending.

More WWII Jerry gear in 1/72.

Maybe it’s just me, but I was a bit shocked at the prices of all the figures and models. A pal commented on this as well, when I showed him my show swag. In the end, apart from the book, I just got some more 1/72 WWII German stuff: an Italieri Opel Blitz ambulance, and two sets from Plastic Soldier Co: RSOs with Pak 40s, and Medium Trucks. I’m in a kind of rear-echelon reverie, I guess.

It’s nice to finally see a mainstream brand suppling the RSO to those of us who, like me, love these strange little tracked tractors. But £17 for the two vehicles and two guns (plus crews, etc) did kind of hurt. On the plus side, PSC are generous in a supplying sufficient variety of parts to allow one to build 3 variants of the RSO (round cab, square cab, and mounted Pak 40), and either Opel Blitz or Mercedes trucks.

A smaller scale WWI game. Not sure who put this one on.

I always like being able to take serial shots such as this.

Another WWI game I didn't find out the name of.

More WWI: Lenton Gamers' 'Oppy Wood', in - I think? - 54mm.

I noted that there were quite a few WWI games. more than I'm used to seeing. I guess its the centenary of that conflict, which has no doubt focussed interest on it.

The brass.

Nice pink facings on these dragoons!

I like this panoramic eye-level shot.

The Perrys had a beautiful Egyptian Napoleonic game, which might've been the Battle of Alexandria (is this historical, or fictional?), pictured above and below.

Beautiful figures, beautiful scenery... fab!

Mmm... beige facings.

As a major fan of the work of Tony Barton, it was nice to see the 15mm Battle of Dresden, which featured hordes of beautiful figures from Barton's capable hands. I meant to ask if these were Battle Honours era figures, or the later/larger AB range. But I was in a taciturn mood this show, so just looked and snapped these pics. Was this the Too-Fat-Lardies game?

Beautiful lancers.

Nice scenery too.

Dem guns, dem guns... 

More fab cavalry.

I was sorely tempted to start buying figures for a new era; English Civil War, American Civil War, even WWI, perhaps. But I managed to restrain myself. This meant not even looking too hard at some stalls. Adler, who do the 6mm ranges that are the backbone of one of my Russia 1812 collections, aren't at that many shows. And normally Id make a bee line for them when they are. This time a furtive glance was all I dared! In case I suddenly bought a new army in a new era.

So, all in all, fun was certainly had. By me at any rate. I think Teresa's highlight was eating chips and beans in the caff! Actually, thats another thing I don't like about these sorts of modern venues: crap overpriced catering. Still, I enjoyed the show. And it gave y my fix of mini-military delights. So... mustn't grumble!

*Unbelievably, there are no cash machines on the site.

Painting Progress: Basing #1

Pictured above is the scene of prolific semi-organised chaos on my 'workbench'*. 

I decided to unearth some 10mm Napoleonic 1812 battalions - only two: one French, one Russian - and think about basing some figures, at long last. In the process I recovered some other almost forgotten figures, including four 40mm AWI figures by Front Rank, which my wife bought me at some show several years ago, in a bid to get me working in a scale she could appreciate without an electron microscope.

AW 15mm Peninsular Brits (discontinued?) [1]; Magister Militum 10mm French, and Old Glory 10mm Russians. [2]

Unfortunately I have very little to hand suitable for basing, as I've yet to come up with definitive decisions on my methodology. I have, however, collected some odds and sods, in the form of a few packets of various sized pre-cut MDF bases. Mostly by (I think?) Minibits.

I soon discovered that, out of all the odds and ends I can currently find, only two, or perhaps three, at best, were suited to my current wants and needs: consequently I could only base one French 10mm battalion, an (under strength) 15mm British Peninsular battalion, my 20mm SS Cavalry, and the 40mm Front Rank AWI guys.

I opted to pair these guys off, excepting only the dismounted fellow...

... who stand guard over an assortment of temporarily discarded gear...

... whilst his buddies are out on patrol.

I used to base my old Minifigs 15mm and the like on card bases (!?), onto which I'd superglue the figures, before 'bedding them in' with Milliput. This last step was done to create a stronger base where the white metal bases of the figures would be flush with the tops of the scenic bases. I used to texture the Milliput with a pin (!?), before blocking in with grass green, and finally doing a dark green wash, followed by a light green dry-brush. Before the enamel paint had dried I'd scatter some green railway modeller's scenic flock over them. Presto, my basing was done!

Fast-forward 20+ years, and these modern MDF bases are so much better than my flimsy card bases ever were. But I thought I'd honour the old tradition, at least on some of the larger scale figures, and use Milliput on some of these bases. So rather than starting on the 10mm or 15mm units, I went with the SS Cavalry and AWI bases. The process can be seen in the two accompanying sets of pics on this post. This time around I used an old toothbrush and a cruddy paintbrush to texture the Milliput.

40mm giants ...

... trudging through Milliput snows ...

... with some Spring in their step.

I'm actually quite pleased with how these came out. I will be working further on them; adding sand, grit, grass, etc. But I have to confess I do like the rather toy-like simplicity of blocked green bases!

* The dining-table!

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NOTES:

[1] Looking at the AW Miniatures site today, it appears they no longer do their 15mm Napoleonic figures. A pity that, for me, as my two 'battalions' - one Frnch one British - are both woefully (but, historically speaking, more accurately, perhaps?) under-strength.

[2] These 10mm units were amongst the first units to be painted on my return to the hobby, and have sat, unfinished and gathering dust, for a number of years. Until now!